Environmental inequality in the West Midlands

Conference Thoughts by Chris Smith

The issue of environmental inequality is all too often overlooked, and this Conference was a really good opportunity to put it firmly on the map. The simple fact is – as I said in my speech – that it is the poorest who suffer most from environmental degradation, and that is true whether you look around the world or here at home in the UK. It is the most deprived communities who experience the worst air quality, the proximity to waste repositories, the risk of flooding. We need to be absolutely rigorous in attending to the needs of these communities, as well as those of the more articulate